


The Library's Guard Dog

by RainRomanoff



Category: The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: M/M, Secret Santa 2016
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-13
Updated: 2016-12-13
Packaged: 2018-09-08 05:07:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8831626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainRomanoff/pseuds/RainRomanoff
Summary: While looking for a book in the Library, Ezekiel finds a box. There's no label on it; just the word "Buddy" engraved on the lid and side in neat, cursive writing.This is a secret santa fic for likeaustraliannotcrosby on Tumblr





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This fic is a secret santa fic for likeaustraliannotcrosby on Tumblr. I hope you like it!

Ezekiel was trying to find a book in the library when he first heard it; a quiet whimper somewhere off to his left. He hadn't been sure he'd heard it at first. Just as he's about to walk off, he hears it again. It sounds like the whimper of a dog in pain. Unable to ignore it, Ezekiel begins to look for the source of the sound. He winds through the shelves of the library, making sure to keep track of the turns he's taking and pausing every so often to listen for the sound. After about fifteen minutes, he finds the source of the whimpering. On a shelf just out of his reach sits a box with some sort of writing on it. It whimpers again as if calling out to him. It’s almost as if there’s a wounded animal trapped in the box, begging to be let out.

Ezekiel grabs a nearby ladder and climbs to look at the box. He searches for a label, being careful not to touch it. He learned the hard way that somethings in the library should definitely not be touched. There's no label, which is odd because according to Flynn, _everything_ in the library has a label for safety reasons. The box doesn't look particularly dangerous. It’s made of silver and about the size of a tissue box. The only markings on the box are the word "Buddy" engraved on the lid and front of the box in neat, cursive letters. As Ezekiel debates whether or not to reach out and touch it, the box whines again, prompting him to open it. As if a trance, Ezekiel lifts the lid of the box just a crack. Before Ezekiel can peer inside or register what he’s doing, a blue light forces the lid open and knocks him off the ladder. He hits hits the hardwood floor hard, leaving him winded and his head pounding. The box follows after him and lands with a painful thump on his chest.

"Woof!" Ezekiel freezes and slowly turns his head to his left and comes face-to-face with a dog’s nose. Ezekiel sits up quickly and scoots away from the dog. The dog resembles a Doberman, but glowing blue and semi-transparent. The dog takes a hesitant step towards Ezekiel, curiously sniffing his foot. Seeming satisfied with the smell of his foot, the dog begins to run off. Ezekiel scrambles to gather the contents of the box (a squeaky rubber ball, a letter, and a collar) and stuffs them back into the box. As he chases after the dog, he fishes his phone out of his pocket, calling the first number on his recent calls list. After three rings, they pick up.

"Hey Jones, what's up?"

"Stone, I need your help." Ezekiel breathes into his phone. _Damn that dog is fast_.

"Where are you? Are you hurt?" Ezekiel can hear shuffling as Jake asks. He's probably grabbing his jacket to go find him.

"I'm in the library. And no. I-" Ezekiel stops in his tracks and looks around wildly. The glowing blue dog is nowhere to be seen.

"Jones? What happened?" Ezekiel swallows thickly. His ears are ringing and his mouth is suddenly unnaturally dry. He is going to be in so much trouble. "Jones!"

"I touched something I shouldn't have and set some sort of ghost dog loose and now I can’t find it.” Ezekiel runs a hand through his hair. He most definitely should not have touched that box.

“Where are you?” Jake’s voice is laced with worry and a tinge of disappointment.

“By the beginning of the elves section and the end of the cookbooks section.”

"I'm on my way."

* * *

 

About an agonizing fifteen minutes later, Jake strolls in.

“What happened?”

“Well, I heard this weird sound that sounded like a hurt dog and so I followed it to this box-” Ezekiel gestures to the box in his his hands. “Before I knew what I was doing, I opened it. Felt like I was in a trance. Anyways, out came this ghost dog. It knocked me right off the ladder. Took me by-”

“Wait, wait, wait. It knocked you off a ladder?!” Jake waves a hand wildly in front of him as a gesture for Ezekiel to stop talking.

“Yeah. That's what I just said.” Ezekiel rolls his eyes as Jake takes the box from him and places it on the nearest table. Jake guides Ezekiel into a chair with a hand on his shoulder. It's warm; his hands are _always_ warm.

“Are you hurt?” Jake pulls a pen light out of his pocket and shines it in his eyes; his other hand rests on Ezekiel's left shoulder. Ezekiel lets him fuss, knowing that trying to resist would be useless.

“I'm fine. Just got the wind knocked out of me.” Seeming satisfied with Ezekiel's answer and his examination, Jake pockets the penlight and takes a step back. “Why do you even have a penlight?”

“In case I need a flashlight.” Jake crosses his arms across his chest, a frown tugging at the corners of his lips.

“Well, I've got a newsflash for you, mate. There's a flashlight on your phone.” Jake scoffs and rolls his eyes at him.

“Whatever. Is this the box the ‘ghost dog’-” Jake does air quotes around the words. “-came out of? And the box that put you in a trance?”

“First off, when did you learn to correctly use air quotes?” Ezekiel raises an eyebrow at him questioningly. “Last I checked you weren't current with pop culture.”

“You use ‘em a whole lot so I figured out how to use them by paying attention to you.” Jake shrugs noncommittally. Ezekiel tries and fails to suppress a grin. “That doesn't answer my questions though.”

“This is the box it came out of and the box that put me in a trance. Anyways, while I was waiting for you, I looked through it and found this stuff.” Ezekiel riffles through the box and pulls out a letter, a dog collar, and a squeaky rubber ball. “According to this letter that ghost dog is actually the Library's guardian dog. His name is Buddy”

“Why was he in the box?” Jake asks.

“He was recovering from a pretty severe injury. Apparently his physical form isn't stable without this collar. If we don't get the collar on within the next twelve hours, he'll fade from existence.” Ezekiel stands with the collar in hand.

“Alright, let's go then.” Jake grabs the squeaky rubber ball and they set off.

* * *

 

After two hours of searching, they still haven't found him and they're both growing tired of the sound of the squeaky ball.

“We're getting nowhere. He could be anywhere in the library by now.” Ezekiel sighs. Jake squeaks the ball twice.

“Tell you what; if we can't find him in the next half hour then we’ll try something else.” Jake squeaks the ball two more times.

Before Ezekiel can agree, they hear the skittering of paws on hardwood. Jake squeaks the ball once more. Buddy comes running, leaving a trail of blue light in his wake and slamming into a bookcase when he fails to stop. That doesn't deter him, however, and as soon as he spots the ball in Jake’s hands, he starts running again. Unable to stop on the hardwood floor, Buddy slams into Jake, knocking both of them to the floor. Ezekiel rushes to put the collar on Buddy and as soon the collar clicks in place, Buddy rushes after the ball that had slipped from Jake's grasp. Ezekiel, who still had a hand on the collar, is pulled forward with him and right on top of Jake. Out of instinct, Jake's hands come to rest on Ezekiel's waist.

Ezekiel tenses as he realizes the situation he's in. His chest is pressed against Jake’s and their legs are tangled together. The hairs on the back of his stand on end as he feels Jake's breath on his neck. Everywhere his body touches Jake’s feels as if it's on fire; Jake is like a human furnace. It's more than a little overwhelming. Ezekiel takes a shaky breath and rolls off of Jake. He smells of old books and musky cologne. Now only their shoulders touch, but the smell of Jake still lingers.

Jake nearly forgets to breathe when Ezekiel lands on him. When he remembers to breathe, he inhales the intoxicating scent of Ezekiel. He smells of coconut and lavender. Ezekiel's breath tickles his neck, leaving Jake unable to to form a coherent thought. He's disappointed when Ezekiel rolls off of him.

“Woof!” Buddy snaps both of them out of their daze. Eager to play fetch, he drops the ball on Ezekiel's chest and paws at his hand.

“Alright, alright.” Ezekiel chuckles, sitting up with the ball in hand. He ruffles Buddy’s glowing blue fur, muttering a “good boy” before throwing the ball. Buddy skitters on the floor before chasing after the ball.

“Ugh.” Jake sits up, rubbing his left shoulder. Their shoulders and knees touch.

“You okay?” Ezekiel glances at him briefly before turning his attention back to Buddy. He's caught the ball and has begun to run back to them.

“Yeah. Buddy just caught me off guard.” An awkward silence settles between them. Buddy reaches them again, but instead of giving one of them the ball, he sits next to Ezekiel.

“We should probably tell the others about Buddy.” Ezekiel says offhandedly, refusing to look at Jake. He's afraid that if he does, he'll be unable to resist the urge to kiss him.

“Yeah.” Jake stands and offers Ezekiel a hand. He takes it and finds himself in Jake's personal space for the second time that day. Their hands remain intertwined between them, neither willing to let go. Ezekiel swallows thickly and glances down to Jake's lips.

“Ezekiel?” Jake whispers his name even though there is no reason to. His breath tickles Ezekiel’s face.

“Yeah?” Jake glances down to Ezekiel’s lips. Their faces are closer together than before, noses nearly touching.

“Can I kiss you?” Ezekiel’s mind is screaming at him to say no, that anything that may happen between them will only lead to heartbreak. However, just this once, Ezekiel decides, he’ll ignore logic.

He nods once and Jake ducks to kiss him. It’s hesitant, but sweet; both are afraid of whatever is blossoming between them. After a few seconds, they pull apart. Jake licks his lips, eyes half open and a dopey smile on his face. His lips taste like Ezekiel’s cherry chapstick. A genuine smile tugs at the corners of Ezekiel’s lips. Their hands are still intertwined between them, Jake’s warm, calloused wrapped around his own.

“So maybe we could go grab dinner or something? Just the two of us?” Jake asks, smiling down at him.

“Yeah, I’d like that.” Yes, heartbreak is inevitable. But for now, he’s happy.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
